Cooks making winter batches
For soups, chilli, stews or casseroles, compare the tomato tin’s salt per 100g and account separately for stock, sauces and seasoning used across the batch.
Who these choices suit
The amount of tomato you use, the texture your dish needs and how often you open a tin all affect which format is practical.
Everyday own-label shoppers
Plain chopped tomatoes from the supermarket you already use may provide the texture you need. Compare the exact tin’s nutrition panel rather than assuming every product under one label has the same salt figure.
Cooks choosing by texture
Chopped tomatoes provide pieces and juice for a stew or chilli; a finely chopped product may better suit a sauce where smaller pieces are wanted. Check salt independently of the cut.
What to check before buying
Start with the salt figure for the exact product, then choose a cut and pack size that fit the recipe and how often you cook it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt in the tin | Compare salt per 100g on the exact product, then consider how much tomato goes into a portion. Bristol City Council describes 0.3g salt or less per 100g as the low-salt labelling threshold. | I want to know what the tomato base contributes before adding the other ingredients. A tin does not need a ‘reduced salt’ claim for its per-100g figure to meet that threshold. |
| Other ingredients | Check stock, ready-made sauces and added seasoning separately from the tomatoes. The NHS suggests herbs, spices, garlic, chilli and lemon as ways to add flavour instead of salt. | For a soup or chilli with several prepared ingredients, I need to assess the whole recipe, not just the tomatoes. |
| Tomato texture | Check whether the tin contains chopped, finely chopped or whole plum tomatoes, and whether the ingredients include anything beyond the tomato base. | I may want visible tomato pieces in a stew, but smaller pieces in a sauce. If I choose whole plum tomatoes, I can allow time to crush or blend them. |
| Pack and storage | Compare the number and size of tins with the amount your recipes use. Check the exact pack’s instructions for storing tomatoes after opening. | A multipack suits me if I cook with tomatoes regularly; for occasional meals, I would plan how to use any part-opened tin. |
Common buying mistakes
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Looking only for ‘reduced salt’ wording
The phrase alone does not tell you how one tin compares with another. The exact products listed by ASDA Groceries, Sainsbury's Groceries, Tesco Groceries, Marks & Spencer and Ocado span 0.01g to 0.30g salt per 100g.
Read the current per-100g figure on each tin you are considering, then use the amount your recipe calls for when assessing a portion.
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Counting the tomatoes but not the rest of the dish
Stock, sauces, cured meat, cheese and added salt can all contribute to a winter recipe, regardless of the tomato tin chosen.
Check those ingredients separately and taste before seasoning. The NHS suggests herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon for flavour in place of added salt.
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Applying one tin’s label to a whole brand
A salt figure for plain chopped tomatoes does not establish the figure for a flavoured tin, a sauce or another product from the same brand.
Check the nutrition panel and ingredients of the precise can or multipack in your basket.
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Opening a tin without a plan for the remainder
A recipe that uses only part of a tin leaves tomatoes to store and use later.
Choose a pack size around your cooking routine, transfer leftovers to a suitable covered container, refrigerate them and follow the product’s use-within instructions.
Brand and product references
These figures describe specific retailer-listed products, not every tin made by each brand. Check the current pack when comparing variants.
ASDA
ASDA Chopped Tomatoes 400g is a plain chopped-tomato option for soups, chilli and stews.
- ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g salt per 100g and tomatoes, concentrated tomato juice and citric acid as ingredients for this product.
- Use that figure for the specified 400g tin, not for other ASDA tomato products.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Chopped Tomatoes Can 400g is a plain chopped-tomato base.
- Sainsbury's Groceries lists 0.07g salt per 100g and 0.14g per half-can for this product.
- Confirm the figure on the tin if choosing another Sainsbury's tomato variant.
Tesco
Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes are listed in a 4 x 400g pack for recipes that regularly use chopped tomatoes.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.09g salt per 100g for this four-pack.
- Check the pack size and label of the exact Tesco product you choose.
M&S
M&S Italian chopped tomatoes provide another plain tomato-and-juice base.
- Marks & Spencer lists 0.10g salt per 100g, with Italian chopped tomatoes, tomato juice and citric acid in the ingredients.
- The figure applies to the specified product; check other M&S tomato products individually.
Mutti
Mutti Polpa is a finely chopped tomato option for recipes where smaller pieces are wanted.
- Ocado lists tomato 99.8% and salt as ingredients, with 0.30g salt per 100g for Mutti Polpa Finely Chopped Italian Tomatoes.
- Its listed salt figure is higher than those of the four specific own-label chopped-tomato products above; compare the exact products rather than the brands as a whole.
Napolina
Tesco Groceries lists Napolina Chopped Tomatoes in 400g and 4 x 400g formats.
- The single tin and four-pack offer different pack sizes for chopped-tomato recipes.
- Check the salt per 100g on the particular Napolina product before comparing it with the tins above.
Joybuy tomato options
These Joybuy options include chopped tomatoes and whole plum tomatoes, in single tins and multipacks, for soups, stews and sauces. Compare the current salt label and choose the cut your recipe needs.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes 12 x 400g
Chopped tomatoes in a 12 x 400g pack for cooks who use tins regularly in soups or stews. Check the current pack for salt per 100g and instructions for storing an opened tin.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
A four-pack of chopped tomatoes for recipes such as soups and stews. Check the exact pack’s salt per 100g rather than applying a figure from another Napolina product.
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KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g
A single 400g tin of chopped tomatoes for a soup, casserole or stew where tomato pieces are wanted. Read the current salt label and the pack’s storage instructions before use.
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KTC Peeled Plum Tomatoes 400g
A single 400g tin of peeled plum tomatoes for a soup, stew or sauce. These are not pre-chopped, so choose them when whole tomatoes suit the recipe or you plan to break them up; check the current salt per 100g.
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Laila Canned Plum Tomatoes 400g
A single 400g tin of plum tomatoes for recipes where you can use whole tomatoes or crush them for a sauce. Check the current pack’s salt per 100g; do not assume a precise figure from a ‘less than’ value.
Questions about salt and tinned tomatoes
Does a tin need to say ‘reduced salt’ to be low in salt?
No. Compare salt per 100g on the exact tin instead of relying on front-of-pack wording. Bristol City Council gives 0.3g salt or less per 100g as the low-salt labelling threshold; the specific retailer-listed tomatoes discussed here range from 0.01g to 0.30g per 100g.
Which of the compared tins lists the least salt?
Among the five specific products compared here, ASDA Chopped Tomatoes 400g has the lowest retailer-listed figure: ASDA Groceries states 0.01g salt per 100g, or 0.03g per half-can. Check stock, sauces and other ingredients separately when assessing a soup or chilli.
Why compare per 100g rather than per serving?
Per-100g figures let you compare tins without relying on different suggested serving sizes. GOV.UK nutrition labelling guidance states that nutrition information is expressed per 100g or 100ml; use the amount your recipe actually requires when considering a portion.
What else should I check when seasoning a tomato-based winter meal?
Check the stock, sauces and other seasoned ingredients as well as the tomato tin, then taste before adding salt. The NHS suggests herbs, spices, black pepper, garlic, chilli or lemon as alternatives for adding flavour.
What should I do with tomatoes left in an opened tin?
Transfer the remaining tomatoes to a suitable covered container, refrigerate them and follow the use-within instructions on that product’s pack. If your recipe regularly uses only part of a tin, take those leftovers into account when choosing a pack size.